The Aggies of North Carolina A&T captured first place honors for the fourth consecutive year, while the Morgan State Bears placed second and Florida A&M Rattlers finished third in overall team performance. In addition to winning in overall performance, the Aggies also won the Co-Ed division.

Lisa Alexandera took home the crown for North Carolina A&T in the All-Star division while Regan Hales of Winston-Salem State was second and Tenisha Francis of North Carolina A&T finished third.

The Nuggets produced five steals in the next six LSUS possessions and scored after every steal to take a decisive 56-48 lead with 40 seconds remaining. Kelly’s steal at 4:04 — the Nuggets’ 500th of the season — led to SiMon Franklin’s basket at 3:45 to put Xavier ahead to stay, 47-46. “It was nothing I told them,” Browder said of his Nuggets. “They got after it late. They knew they’d have to step it up defensively to win the game. That’s how we’ve been winning all year.”

The brackets for the NAIA National Championship Tournament will be announced tomorrow afternoon live at CollegeFanz.com.

Since the interim label was removed from Barlow’s title in May 2007, 16 other coaches have followed them out the door. Barlow fired 10 of them.

On the field, the Hornets’ play has reflected the inner turmoil.

ASU hasn’t recorded a winning season since Barlow took over — going 5-6, 3-8 and 4-7 the last three seasons. In the SWAC, where the Hornets were consistent contenders for the first half of the decade, they’ve gone just 7-16.

The lengthy article – chock full of supportive-yet-indicting quotes from former assistants with coordinator or head coaching gigs throughout the country – points out many incidents of impatience and a lack of professionalism on Barlow’s part. And while it appears most of these coaches and the ASU administration that has yet to extend his contract believe in his passion, no one is convinced that Barlow is a man who will compete for SWAC championships on the pillars of personnel management.

To be fair, Barlow did walk into a situation at Alabama State fresh off of NCAA violations and penalties, limited scholarships, and very little institutional support. While there is excitement around the program, and patience for its return to SWAC championship potential, the infrastructure is a major factor in why things aren’t going right for the Hornets.

And if that infrastructure continues to stand by a man not fit for the position, well, you just can’t blame Barlow for keeping a job.

The inconsistency at quarterback may have been solved, at least in preseason workouts.

“It’s what Dedric wants it to be,” Comegy said. “It’s an opportunity for Dedric to stand up and move forward with his college career. I know my fingers are crossed.

“It’s up to Dedric to make that happen.”

McDonald said the process started in the winter. He’s been working on his game 2-3 times a day, four times a week – trying to get smarter, stronger, faster. With a new offensive coordinator in Earnest Wilson, McDonald said he already has 80 percent of the “Air Raid” offense down.

Plaintiffs charge Delaware State with violating Title IX by failing to provide its female students with equal opportunity to participate in athletics and seek immediate reinstatement of the equestrian team. Many of the team members were recruited by Delaware State and gave up other opportunities and scholarships to compete on its equestrian team. As plaintiff Amanda Hotz said, “The equestrian team was my sole reason for attending Delaware State and I expected to ride for four years.”

The loss of the team leaves the students without the opportunity to participate on the team that brought them to Delaware State in the first place. It also impairs their ability of achieve their career goals of therapeutic training, coaching, and other equestrian related fields. A hearing on plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction is expected in April.

Wednesday, March 10

Noon Women #2 Prairie View A&M vs. #7 Alabama St.

2:30 p.m. Men #2 Univ. Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. #7 Miss. Valley St.

5:30 p.m. Women #1 Southern vs. #8 Univ. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

8 p.m. Men #1 Jackson St. vs. #8 Grambling St.

Thursday, March 11

Noon Women #3 Alabama A&M vs. #6 Alcorn St.

2:30 p.m. Men #3 Alabama St. vs. #6 Alabama A&M

5:30 p.m. Women #4 Grambling St. vs. #5 Texas Southern

8 p.m. Men #4 Prairie View A&M vs. #5 Texas Southern

Automatic bids allowed men’s teams from St. Augustine’s (CIAA), Tuskegee (SIAC) and West Virginia State (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) to earn playoff bids while women’s teams from Fayetteville State (CIAA) and Benedict (SIAC) got playoff nods.

Clark Atlanta’s men, Fort Valley State’s women, Virginia State’s women and Central State’s men round out the slate of HBCU moving on to Division II’s version of the Big Dance.

While it’s all well and good to celebrate the achievements of these teams, the seeding and placement of these teams shouldn’t go without some criticism. On the men’s side, St. Augustine’s, West Virginia State, Tuskegee and Clark Atlanta have the chance to clash no later than mid-way through the tournament. West Virginia State and St. Augustine’s are both playing out of the Atlantic region, and could meet in the Sweet 16.

Tuskegee and Clark Atlanta, two schools out of the SIAC, could meet in the second round of the South region.

On the women’s side, Virginia State and Fayetteville State are playing out of the Atlantic region, while Benedict and Fort Valley State are playing out of the South. All four have a chance to meet their conference counterparts in the Sweet 16.

This isn’t to say that these teams have been unfairly seeded, but it is to say that selection committee could do a much better job of insuring that HBCUs aren’t in positions to bounce each other out of the chance for a national title.

“I’ll be truthful, I’ve got just four scholarships for my team, so I’ve got to divide them up,” Lewis said. “Every other team in the tournament — Findlay, Kentucky Wesleyan, all of ’em — will have 10 full-ride players on their bench…”

He said his recruiting budget last year was $1,700. “I talked to my friend at Gannon (University) and asked what his budget was,” Lewis said. “He told me he didn’t really have a certain budget. He said if he spent $12,000, well, then that’s what it was…”

Lewis said he and assistant coach Donte Jackson take care of many of their expenses out of their own pockets: “You got to do what you need to do if you want to build a program and get kids in here.”

WOMEN

First Team All-Conference
Ashley Sorrell-Gibson, Claflin, 5-4, Sr., G
Takesha Riggs, Fort Valley State, 5-7, Sr., G
Veronica Jackson, Lane, 5-10, Sr., F
Shonice Sprouse, LeMoyne-Owen, 5-9, Jr., G
Tequila Martin, Tuskegee, 5-7, Jr., G

Second Team All-Conference
Kendra Evans, Fort Valley State, 5-11, So., F
Stephanie Harper, Kentucky State, 5-11, Fr., F
Cyntauria Jones, Miles, 5-8, Sr., F
Areyal LeDeatte, Paine, 6-1, Sr., C
Alecia Young, Stillman, 6-1, Jr., F

SIAC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Stephanie Harper, Kentucky State
SIAC MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Takesha Riggs, Fort Valley State
SIAC COACH OF THE YEAR: Lonnie Bartley

MEN

First Team All-Conference
Najee Lane, Clark Atlanta, 6-4, Jr., G/F
Eric Salley, Claflin, 6-2, Jr., G
LeDarius Johnson, LeMoyne-Owen, 6-3, Sr., G
Lajay Sears, Stillman, 6-4, Jr., G
Andre Nelson, Tuskegee, 6-6, Jr., F/C

Second Team All-Conference
Kennie Eberhart, Benedict, 6-4, Jr., G
Tony Johnson, Kentucky State, 6-2, Jr., G
Maurice Mickens, LeMoyne-Owen, 6-0, Sr., G
Jelani Figures, Morehouse, 6-4, Jr., G
Geno Green, Paine, 6-4, So., F

SIAC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: James Edmonds, Lane
SIAC MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Najee Lane, Clark Atlanta
SIAC COACH OF THE YEAR: Darryl Jacobs, Clark Atlanta

The sixth annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge will be the first meeting in nearly 25 years for Southern and Delaware State. However, Southern returns to the event for the second time, while 2010 will be Delaware State’s first appearance. In 2007, Southern defeated Florida A&M 33-27 at historic Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala

There was a growing sense that the Challenge would endeavor to match a premier team from each conference, and prior to last year’s Challenge, MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas even alluded to evolving the Challenge to a black college football national championship. But, given that Delaware State is a recent conference champion, and Southern is a major draw in black college football.

Many story lines come out of this match-up; Stump Mitchell’s first game as Southern’s head coach, Delaware State’s effort to erase the vestiges of last season, and of course, the MEAC’s choke hold on the Challenge. It may be puzzling, but the Hornets-Jaguars face-off won’t be without intrigue.